Board game and method of playing

ABSTRACT

A resource management board game where 3 or more players: gather materials to build nuclear weapons, amassing as many as possible while maintaining relationships with their allies, neutralities, and enemies; stave off nuclear attacks from the aforementioned, and complete their randomly chosen objectives. Players will have to make deals and deceive others to achieve their goals, bluffing their way into partnerships, making friends of enemies and vice versa, before a Doom Counter reaches Midnight. A method of playing the aforementioned game is also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a perfection of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.62/568,168, filed on Oct. 4, 2017, the disclosure of which is fullyincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to board games, strategy games and/or card games.It is a game designed to simulate the steps countries need to take forpreventing (or causing) a nuclear conflict. It is to be made and soldunder the trademark: 5 Minutes To Midnight™, or 5MtoM, for short. Therules call for both a basic, or “Quick Play” version and a moredetailed, intensive/extended or “Advanced Play” version.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a primary purpose of the invention to involve multiple players ina card-driven game. 5MtoM, is a resource management game where playershave to gather the materials to build nuclear weapons, amassing as manyas possible while maintaining relationships with their allies,neutralities, and enemies, staving off nuclear attacks from theaforementioned, and completing their randomly chosen objectives. Playerswill have to make deals and deceive others to achieve their goals,bluffing their way into partnerships, making friends of enemies and viceversa, plot and plan out their every move while keeping everyone else inthe dark as they vie for world domination before the Doom Counter or“Doomsday Clock” reaches BOOM! (Midnight)

It is another purpose of this invention for keeping players in the “mix”of still winning the game, even after their country has been turned intoa Wasteland (per the directions below).

This purpose is met, at least in part, by providing the game board,country card and playing cards shown in the accompanying photographs ANDby following the game rules described in greater detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS/DRAWINGS

The objects, advantages and features of this invention will be morereadily appreciated from following detailed description, when read inconjunction with the accompanying photographs and drawings in which:

FIG. 1A shows the top cover to the box for one embodiment of the playinggame;

FIG. 1B shows the box bottom;

FIG. 2A shows a top view of the game board country map with cardholdersindicated and the Doom Counter along the lower left side;

FIG. 2B shows a first alternative game board with fictional (rather thanreal) countries on a hexagonal grid for player tile placements thereon;

FIG. 3A shows the front (left side) and rear (right side) for onerepresentative player card, in this case Australia (left side) and itsWasteland equivalent (right side) with the detailed player informationtherefor;

FIGS. 3B1 and 3B2 shows the fronts to 16 representative country cardsfor use with the game as described below;

FIGS. 3C1 and 3C2 show the rear sides to the 16 country cards of FIGS.3B1 and 3B2 if/when those countries get made into their respectiveWastelands;

FIG. 4 shows 10 representative Objective cards for use with the gamedescribed below;

FIG. 5 shows 10 representative Conspiracy-Political cards for use withthe game described below; and

FIG. 6 shows 10 representative Resource cards for use with the game.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

What follows are the Rules, Instructions, etc. for the Advanced Playversion of this board game. For QuickPlay, see the underlined, italicssuggestions for shortening game play time. It is intended for 3-7players, ages 12 and up! Suggested playtime is roughly 60-90 minutes.

Introduction

5 Minutes to Midnight™ is a geopolitical tabletop game about deals,deception, and dropping nukes . . . curiously not dissimilar to reallife.

The world is in chaos. Stock markets have crashed. The global currency,the “Swindl” is hyper-inflating, natural resources like radioactiveNukonium are dwindling, and all the old political alliances havefractured apart. The governments left standing are locked in a globalcold war. The arms race to see who can stockpile the most nuclearwarheads while feebly holding onto their sovereignty . . . is ON.

Objectives

Players take turns mining resources, negotiating with other countries,or launching nuclear warheads. Players earn points by completingobjectives specified by their “Objective Cards,” The player with themost points when the world ends, wins!

Game Contents

-   Game Board (1)-   Doomsday Clock Hand & Connector (1)-   Nation Cards (16)-   Nation/Warhead Tokens (112, 7 per player)-   −1/Strike Tokens (112, 7 per player)-   Treaty Tokens (112, 7 per player)-   Objective Cards-   Action Cards-   Resource Cards-   Doomsday Dossier (1)-   Doomsday Deck (6, 2 of each type)-   Wasteland Objective Cards (8, 1 per player with I extra)-   2 minute Negotiation Clock (1)-   Warhead Miniatures (49, 7 per player)-   Infantry Miniatures (42, 6 per player)-   Tank Miniatures (21, 3 per player)-   Warship Miniatures (7, 1 per player)-   Optional Airship Miniatures (12, 2 per player)

Initial Set-Up

1. Place the Game Board in the center of the playing area. Gather one ofeach Nation Token & scramble them facedown or put them into the box top.Each player chooses two Nation Tokens at random, and picks one countryfrom those two to play for the game. Players may consult the NationCards to compare stats.

2. Assemble the Doomsday Clock and set it to “11:45.”

3. Distribute a “Wasteland Objectives Card” to every player.

4. Each Player should gather her country's GDP resources as indicated onthe Nation Card. Players place their Nation Token on their starting“Will of the People”, and a Warhead Token on their starting silo, rocketside up (if applicable). Once every player has their GDP resources, addthe “Military Deployment” resource cards equal to the number of playersplus one into the Resource Deck. Shuffle the Resource Deck and place iton the designated spot on the game board.

5. Shuffle the. Red Doomsday Cards and place them in the DoomsdayDossier. Place the Doomsday Dossier next to the Doomsday Clock.

6. Shuffle the Objective Cards well, and deal 4 to each player. Rememberto keep your Objectives hidden from other players! Place the remainingObjective Card deck on the designated spot on the game board.

7. Each player draws 2 Action Cards from the Action Deck (discard andreplace any “PLAY NOW” cards you receive by drawing again until you have2 Action Cards that do not say “PLAY NOW”). After each player has theirstarting Action Cards, shuffle the Action Deck & place it on thedesignated spot on the game board.

8. Place the Negotiation Clock on its designated spot on the game board.You are now ready to play 5 Minutes to Midnight™

Begin the Game

5 Minutes to Midnight™ is played in rounds. A round is comprised of twophases: the player phase and the Warhead phase, A round is complete whenboth phases have concluded. The player with the most Nuclear Warheads intheir GDP goes first. In the event there is more than one nation-playerwith the same number of nukes, the player with the most Swindl goesfirst. If there is still a tie, the older of the tied players goesfirst. If both players are exactly the same age born at exactly the sametime, write in to us. We don't believe you. Play continues clockwise forthe duration of the game, unless a card's instructions specifyotherwise.

Playing the Game

Player Phase: Each player takes a turn that is comprised of two actions.Players may not skip an action unless otherwise directed to do so by acard's instruction. During their turn, a player may do any 2 of thefollowing actions: Draw, Play, Attempt Diplomacy, Build, or Proliferate.

Draw

-   Draw from any of the available card decks (Objective, Action,    Resource). Players may use one or both turn actions to draw cards    from any deck, but REMEMBER: Draw cards one at a time—some cards may    interrupt your turn. It is important to act in sequence. If player    draws an Action Card that says “PLAY NOW”, they must play that card    and follow its instructions before drawing a second card. PLAY NOW    cards are played as part of the “draw” turn action. The Doomsday    Deck is not available to be drawn from until the Doomsday Clock    strikes 7 (“5 Minutes to Midnight™”).    There are two rare Action Cards:    -   ASSASSINATION—Pick a player, they must sacrifice two Will (−2).        If they don't have at least 2 Will, they automatically become a        Wasteland.    -   BLIGHT—When played, the player chooses another player to        automatically turn into a Wasteland; there is no defense against        this action.

On Objective Cards . . .

-   -   Players may use one or both turn actions to discard any        undesirable objective cards, but they must immediately draw two        new objective cards for every one they discard.    -   Unless otherwise specified, a player cannot complete a trade        objective over multiple turns. The required trade must happen in        full at one time.    -   You may have more than one Objective Card with the same        conditions. Duplicate Objective Cards cannot be satisfied in the        same turn.        -   If a player has two of the same objective card in their            hand, they may not satisfy the conditions once and claim            both objectives as complete. They must complete them            separately.    -   Unless otherwise specified, Objective Cards cannot be satisfied        through deception, e.g.: to satisfy an objective, you must trade        2 Nukonium. You may not secretly pass 2 Swindl—you must honor        the card's terms.        -   All terms on the card must be satisfied for the objective to            be considered complete.    -   Unless otherwise specified, Objective Cards may be played the        moment they are completed.        -   A player does not need to wait for her turn to reveal an            objective if completed during another player's turn or the            Warhead phase. This is a free action.

Play

-   -   Play Action/Resource Cards—Players may use one or both turns to        play Action or Resource Cards. Players may not play the same        type of card on the same player in the same turn.    -   E.g.: A player may play an action card on France as one turn        action, and an Action Card on Japan as another turn action, but        she may NOT play two action cards on France in the same turn.

You can perform the same action more than once per turn, but you cannotperform the same action to the same player more than once per turn (ex:if you play an action card against China, you cannot play another actioncard against China in the same turn. You may perform any other actionwith China in the same turn, however).

-   Play Military Invasion/Mining—Players may use one or both turns to    play Military Invasion miniatures. Military Invasion Minis can help    you increase resource production while stymieing the resource    production of other players. if a player's military mini is in    another player's nation, that player may mine his target nation for    resources once per turn as a free action (excluding the turn where    the military mini was placed). He may also choose to use one or both    of his turn actions to further mine his target nation for additional    resources.    -   There are three types of Military Invasion Minis: Infantry,        Tank, and Warship (with an optional fourth mini—for Airships, in        the near future).        -   Infantry minis may move only one adjacent space from their            nation's borders, even if just a sliver of their nation's            border occupies a space. Infantry minis start on any silo            icon in their nation.        -   Tank miniatures may move up to four spaces from their home            nation, but they may not cross water, even if two nation's            borders are separated by water in the same space on the            board, unless the land connects in the grid space. Tank            miniatures move one space per turn action. Tank minis start            on any silo icon in their nation.        -   Warship miniatures have no restriction on how far they can            move from their home nation, but they can only make port on            the coast—any space that has both water and a nation's            border. Warship tokens start on any coastal space in their            nation. If a nation's borders do not share a space with            water, that nation may not deploy warships. They may still            build them for trade. Warship miniatures may move up to two            spaces per turn action.    -   To Mine:        -   The invading player flips a “Strike Token.”        -   If it lands “strike” side up, the invading player draws            resources from the resource deck equal to the “Natural            Resource” number on his target nation's Nation Card.        -   If it lands “−1” side up, the invading player immediately            recalls all military minis on that target nation back to his            own nation, even if they are not in the same space. Military            minis in other nations may stay, but if the failed-flip            target nation's borders are in that space at all, those            minis must be withdrawn as well.

As long as another player's Military mini is in a player's nation, theoccupied nation may not draw resources, even if they are not theintended occupants (such as in the example of shared borders, or aplayer “passing through” a nation's borders on the way to anothernation). Occupied nations may still acquire resources through Diplomacyor Action Cards. If a player's military mini is in a. space that sharestheir own borders with another nation, they may still draw from theresource deck, whereas the nation sharing their borders in that spacemay not.

You can multiply your gains by having multiple military minis in thesame target nation, even if they're not in the same space! A successfulcoin toss multiplies your resource gain by the number of military minisin your target nation! But be careful . . . an unsuccessful coin toss,and all your military minis in that nation go back home!

-   -   Military Invasion Minis can be built at any time, but only        deployed if a player holds the Military Invasion Resource Card        and meets the required deployment conditions.    -   Deploying each Military mini costs one turn action.    -   Moving Military minis costs one turn action, but a player may        move as many or as few deployed military minis as they like.        -   You may not “share” movements—if you choose not to move a            mini, her movement is NOT given to another mini.    -   Recalling the military minis costs one turn action, but a player        may recall as many or as few military minis as they like.        Recalled minis may return to any silo space (or in the warship's        case, any port).

Attempt Diplomacy Attempt Diplomacy

There are three types of negotiation: Trade, Alliance, & Defense Treaty.Players may use one or both turn actions to attempt Diplomacy withanother player. The player asks their diplomat: “[Nation], are youamenable to a/an [type of negotiation]?” The diplomat may say yes or no.If they say no, that turn action is done. As soon as a player asks tonegotiate, before they are told yes or no, a non-involved party startsthe Negotiation Timer (120 seconds). A diplomatic negotiation may nowcommence.

Players may NOT hold multiple of the same type of Diplomatic Negotiationwith the same player in the same turn, though they may hold multiplenegotiations with the same player in the same turn. If a player attemptsa Diplomatic Negotiation and is denied, they may attempt to open anotherDiplomatic Negotiation with the same player, but that would use boththeir turn actions, even if denied twice.

-   -   If a player is denied the opportunity to negotiate, another        player who was not the original player asked may express their        willingness to entertain the player's offer. This remains part        of the original player's turn action (i.e. if they asked on        their first turn, this second chance negotiation is part of        their first turn action).        -   If multiple players express this willingness, the player            whose turn it is decides with whom to open negotiations, but            the negotiation clock is not restarted.        -   Follow the normal rules for negotiation.        -   If a deal is not reached or the negotiation clock expires,            advance the Doomsday Clock by 1.    -   Trade    -   Players can trade any combination of their Resource Cards,        military tokens, promises for future favor, and/or ONE (1)        Warhead from their Stockpile. Players may not trade Objectives        or Action Cards.        -   The player who initiated the negotiation makes their ask.        -   The player who accepted the negotiation may accept, decline,            or counter-offer.        -   The player who initiated the negotiation may accept the            counter-offer, decline, double down on their initial offer,            or make a counter-offer.        -   This process repeats until terms are agreed to, both parties            agree the negotiation is dead, or the Negotiation Timer            expires. Both players must verbally state “I accept/decline            these terms” before the Negotiation Timer expires.        -   When terms are agreed to, both players must shake hands            openly then pass any resources or cards face down to one            another.            -   If the parties agree IMMEDIATELY at or after the timer                expires, they may still proceed with the trade, but both                parties MUST trade honestly—they may not deceive. These                trades are done face up to the rest of the table.                Players do not have to be honest about what resources                they pass or which promises they keep, but Warheads must                be given as promised.        -   Any successful trade with an Allied country gains the Ally            +1 Will. If both countries are Allies, they both gain +1            Will, unless otherwise specified on their Nation Card.        -   Any successful trade with a Rival country costs the player            −1 Will. If both countries are Rivals, they both lose −1            Will, unless otherwise specified on their Nation Card.        -   Players may spend both turn actions performing trade            negotiations, but not with the same player.

A common trade deception is to shake hands on a trade, and then pass adifferent resource! Remember: Action Cards cannot be traded, but you cannegotiate for another player to use an Action Card on your behalf!

-   -   Create an Alliance    -   Unlike the free action alliance shifts to rival or unaligned, in        order to create an Ally relationship, both parties must agree        and shake hands in a Diplomatic Negotiation.        -   During a Diplomatic Negotiation, a player may ask another            player to become allies. They may ask with no stipulations,            or offer a trade, at the player's discretion.        -   The other player may accept, decline, or counter-offer.        -   The initiating player may accept, decline, counter-offer, or            stand by their initial offer.        -   This process repeats until terms are agreed to, both parties            agree the negotiation is dead, or the Negotiation Timer            expires. Both players must verbally state “I accept/decline            these terms” before the Negotiation Timer expires.        -   When terms are agreed to, both players must openly shake            hands after the verbal declaration.        -   After hands have been shaken, both countries must move their            respective Nation Tokens to the “ALLY” column on their            Nation Card.            -   If the parties agree IMMEDIATELY at or after the timer                expires, the alliance is still successful, but every                current (not necessarily starting) “Rival” on both                players nation cards gains +1 Will. If both players have                the same country as a Rival, the Rival gains +2 Will.        -   If a deal is not reached and/or the negotiation is not            officially closed by the time the Negotiation Timer expires,            both parties to the negotiation must discard a completed            objective with the lowest point value, and draw a new            objective card. If they have no completed objectives, they            must still draw a new objective card and put it into their            hand.            FOR QUICKPLAY: FAILED attempts to form an ALLY Relationship            advances the Doomsday Clock by 1.    -   Defense Treaty    -   During a Diplomatic Negotiation, a player may ask another        player, for the present or future assistance to Counterstrike on        their behalf.        -   They may ask with no stipulations, or offer a trade, at the            player's discretion.        -   The other player may accept, decline, or counter-offer.        -   The initiating player may accept, decline, counter-offer, or            stand by their initial offer.        -   This process repeats until terms are agreed to, both parties            agree the negotiation is dead, or the Negotiation Timer            expires. Both players must verbally state “I accept/decline            these terms” before the Negotiation Timer expires.        -   When terms are agreed to, both players must openly shake            hands after the verbal declaration.        -   The asking Nation hands the Hero Nation one of their Treaty            Tokens, to keep track of the Treaty.            -   If the Hero Nation accepts the Treaty, they must follow                all the rules of Counterstrike (see “Counterstrike”                section below).            -   As a reward for good diplomacy, after they launch the                Counterstrike when called upon, the Hero Nation gains +1                Will, even if the Counterstrike is not successful.                -   If they decide to break the treaty and not launch                    the Counterstrike, or if they reprogram it after                    launch, they do not gain any Will, but there is no                    penalty, apart from the damaged diplomatic relations                    with the other player.            -   If the parties agree IMMEDIATELY at or after the timer                expires, the Hero Nation must flip a nation token. If it                lands flag side up, they may proceed with the treaty and                either launch or not launch when called upon at their                discretion. If it lands warhead side up, one of their                warheads in their silo immediately blows up, destroying                the silo. Place a “strike” token on the silo space. They                may still honor or dishonor the treaty at their                discretion.                -   If a deal is not reached and/or the negotiation is                    not officially closed by the time the Negotiation                    Timer expires, both parties to the negotiation must                    discard a completed objective with the lowest point                    value, and draw a new objective card. If they have                    no completed objectives, they must still draw a new                    Objective card and put it into their hand.        -   Emergency Treaty        -   Sometimes a player has a warhead launched at them after            their turn in the round, and it will become a successful            strike against them before their next turn. In this case, a            defending player may ask for an EMERGENCY TREATY for the            assistance of another player to Counterstrike on their            behalf.            -   An Emergency Treaty may only be requested at the                conclusion of the turn of the player who launched the                warhead that will strike before the defender's next                turn.            -   When the defending player declares their need for an                EMERGENCY TREATY, they start the Negotiation Timer, then                discard one Resource Card (as a tax for going out of                turn).            -   Only after they have paid the tax, they can ask other                players if they are willing to enter into a Treaty with                them.                -   If the defending player does not have any Resource                    Cards, they may not ask for an Emergency Treaty.                -   A defending player may address one, several, or all                    players at the same time.                -   They may ask with no stipulations, or offer a trade,                    at the player's discretion.                -   The other player may accept, decline, or                    counter-offer. If multiple players are willing to                    accept, even if they were not originally included in                    the Emergency Treaty, a mass negotiation may take                    place.                -   The initiating player may accept, decline,                    counter-offer, or by their initial offer.                -   This process repeats until terms are agreed to, all                    parties agree the negotiation is dead, or the                    Negotiation Timer expires. Both parties must                    verbally state “I accept/decline these terms” before                    the Negotiation Timer expires.                -   When terms are agreed to, both players must openly                    shake hands after the verbal declaration.            -   If the parties agree IMMEDIATELY at or after the timer                expires, the Hero Nation must flip a nation token. If it                lands flag side up, they may proceed with the treaty and                either launch or not launch when called upon at their                discretion. If it lands warhead side up, one of their                warheads in their silo immediately blows up, destroying                the silo. Place a “strike” token on the silo space. They                may still honor or dishonor the treaty at their                discretion.                -   If a deal is not reached and/or the negotiation is                    not officially closed by the time the Negotiation                    Timer expires, both parties to the negotiation must                    discard a completed objective with the lowest point                    value, and draw a new objective card. If they have                    no completed objectives, they must still draw a new                    objective card and put it into their hand.

If a defending nation forgets or declines to ask for an EmergencyTreaty, they may not ask out of turn again until another warhead islaunched at them. If they ask for an Emergency Treaty before startingthe negotiation timer, they must pay the Resource Card tax, but theylose a turn and do not get to ask for an Emergency Treaty.

In all types of Diplomatic Negotiation, once the parties have agreed onthe terms, the deal must be sealed with a public handshake before theterms are executed.

-   -   If the public handshake is forgotten or ignored and another        player calls it out, there are several penalties for the        negotiating parties:        -   the negotiating parties cancel the terms of their            negotiation        -   if an alliance shift was part of the negotiation, the shift            does not take place        -   if a warhead was to be exchanged in the negotiation, both            players have a silo explosion and lose 1 silo for the            duration of the game.        -   if cards were being exchanged or had been exchanged, they            are instead shown face up and discarded            -   if a player had deceived in a negotiation and had                promised cards they did not have in their hand, they                discard an extra resource card        -   both players remove their lowest value completed objective            as “failed”            -   if a player does not have a completed objective, they                must draw a new objective card and put it into their                hand.

If a deal is not reached and/or the negotiation is not officially closedby the time the Negotiation Timer expires, both parties to thenegotiation must discard a completed objective with the lowest pointvalue, and draw a new objective card. If they have no completedobjectives, they must still draw a new objective card and put it intotheir hand.

-   -   This penalty is in addition to any “negotiation specific”        penalties as outlined above.

There is no rule requiring players to honor the agreed upon terms.Players may be honest, deceptive, or non-participatory at theirdiscretion. The only exceptions are the creation of an alliance and thetransfer of Warheads.

Influencing a Negotiation

The other players NOT involved in a Diplomatic Negotiation are permittedto try and influence a negotiation through “table talk” such as callingother players liars, claiming that a player is close to satisfying a bigobjective, etc. However, as they are not in the negotiation, they CANNOTmake offers, counter-offers, or promises.

-   -   If a player is in violation of this rule, he must remain quiet        for the duration of that negotiation.        -   If the player who initiated the negotiation opens a second            negotiation on the same turn, the player who previously had            to remain quiet is free to try and influence the new            negotiation unless they violate the Influencing a            Negotiation rules.    -   If a player who has been muted continues speaking during the        negotiation, the player who started the negotiation can pick a        random Objective Card from their hand and force them to remove        it as Failed, meaning that it can no longer be completed and its        point value will be subtracted from their final score at the end        of the game.        -   If the interrupting player had no Objective Cards in their            hand, they lose a turn, and −1 Will of the People.

Players are encouraged to banter, make deals, work in tandem, lie,backstab, or employ subterfuge and misdirection throughout gameplay.Just remember, there can only be one “Last Nation Standing” so playsmart.

Build

-   Building a Military—Players may use one or both turn actions to    build as many military minis as they have resources for. The cost    for each military faction is on the player's nation card. Players    may not build a military in excess of the available minis (maximum    six Infantry, three Tanks, one Warship at one time). Optionally, one    or more Airship minis may be added to this mix near term.

If you have reached the maximum number of minis allowed, players maystill acquire additional Military resources (of any faction) throughtrade, but they will not be able to build more (a reserve) if theirtotal number of minis meets or exceeds the maximum.

-   -   Building a Nuclear Warhead—Players may use one or both turn        actions to build as many warheads as they have resources for.        They may only do this if they have the minimum Will of the        People requirement specified in the nuclear program dossier on        their Nation Card. Players do not lose Will for building        warheads, but they must discard their resources.        -   Players cannot build a warhead by discarding partial            resource requirements on one turn, and the remainder on            another. All required resources must be discarded in the            same turn to build a Nuclear Warhead.

Pro tip—when discarding resources, mix up the Swindl™ & Nukonium™ tomake it easier to reshuffle the deck!

PROLIFERATE

-   Launch a Nuclear Warhead—Players may use one turn action to launch a    warhead, They may do this as long as they have warheads in their    silo. They do not have to discard resources to launch a warhead    unless otherwise specified by a card or “Nation Special.” This ends    their turn for the round, even if they have remaining turn actions.    To launch a warhead, a player declares her target, then takes one of    her nation's warhead minis and places it on any silo icon within    their nation. The launching player takes one of her declared    target's nation flag tokens and places it in the groove, flag side    out. If the player is launching a Counterstrike, the target will be    another player's Warhead already in the air, Every time a warhead is    launched, advance the Doomsday Clock by one minute (See: Nuclear    Warheads & Counterstrikes section below).-   Reprogram a Nuclear Warhead—Players may use one or both turn actions    to reprogram one of their live warheads. They may only reprogram    their warhead, unless otherwise specified by a card or “Nation    Special.”    -   To reprogram a warhead, a player declares that they are using a        turn action to reprogram one of their warheads.    -   She declares which nation or other warhead is her new target    -   She replaces the original target token on her warhead mini to        the new target token—flag side out if she is targeting a nation,        missile side out if she is targeting a warhead.        -   Remember to use a warhead target token from the correct            nation so you and others can easily identify which nation's            warhead your own warhead is targeting.    -   There is no limit to the amount of times a warhead can be        reprogrammed, but you can only reprogram one warhead per turn.        -   Unless it is intercepted or otherwise specified by a card or            “Nation Special”, a warhead will always hit it's programmed            target.

If you are targeting a specific nation's warhead, you may strike any oftheir live warheads with that nation's warhead token on top, even onethat was launched after yours!

Free Actions in Player Phase: Completed Objectives

At any point during player phase or warhead phase, a player may placecompleted Objective Cards face up, even if the terms to satisfy theobjective happened on someone else's turn. If another player challengesthe Objective and the majority of players agree the objective was notproperly satisfied, the Objective is discarded, and two new ObjectiveCards are drawn.

-   -   Any player may play a completed objective any time during player        phase, even if it is not their turn, as long as all the terms        have been satisfied.

Declare an Alliance Shift

At any point during her turn, a player may change an allied nation to anunallied or rival nation, change an unallied nation to a rival nation,or change a rival nation to an unallied nation. Players may NOT createan alliance as a free action. Alliances can only be made in a DiplomaticNegotiation. Players may only initiate an alliance shift with anotherplayer once per player phase, however if a player declares an allianceshift with another player, the other player is still free on their turnto declare an alliance shift with that original player.

-   -   Alliance shifts must be announced to all players—it may not be        done privately.        When a player shifts an alliance during her turn, the other        player who was shifted gets an immediate free action to shift        their alliance with that player as well if they so desire.        Players may shift alliances based on the following table: (See        “Alliances” section herein).

Opposing Player Shifts Alliance to: Your Shift as a Free Action:Unaligned No shift, Unaligned, Rival Rival Unaligned, Rival* *You maynot remain Allied with a Rival Nation.

Warhead Phase:

After every player has taken their turn, all warheads on the game boardare moved one grid space by the player(s) who launched them, unlessotherwise specified by card text.

Warheads move one grid space at a time during warhead phase, unlessotherwise specified.

Once all warheads have been moved, resolve any Fallout or Strike damage,and that completes the Warhead Phase. The next round begins in the sameorder as the previous round. (See: Fallout & Strike Damage herein).

Nuclear Warheads

Each nation player starts with a number of nuclear Warheads. Throughoutthe game, they may want to build more Warheads, get rid of Warheads, orlaunch Warheads.

-   -   A player cannot launch a Warhead on their first turn of the        game.    -   At any point in their turn, a player with Warheads in their        Stockpile can declare that they are launching against another        player.        -   Once a player launches a Warhead, their turn ends            immediately, even if they have remaining turn actions.        -   Any time a Warhead is launched, the Doomsday Clock advances            by 1 (even if the warhead is a Counterstrike).        -   When a player's Warhead strikes, even if it didn't hit the            original declared target, the attacking player who launched            the Warhead loses 1 Will of the People, unless directed            otherwise by an Action Card or Nation Card.        -   There is no Will of the People penalty for launching a            Counterstrike, but it still advances the Doomsday Clock (see            “Counterstrike” section herein).

Build

-   Players may use one or both turn actions to build as many warheads    as they have resources for.    -   Players can only build a Warhead if they have the minimum Will        of the People requirement specified in the nuclear program        dossier on their Nation Card.        -   Players do not lose Will for building Warheads, but they            must discard the resources specified in their nuclear            program dossier.    -   Unlike trade deals, players cannot deceive when discarding        resources to build a Warhead. No lying to build nukes.

Launch

Once per turn, a player may launch a warhead at another player's nationor military minis. Be careful, though: any time a warhead is launched,the Doomsday clock ticks closer and closer to midnight.

-   -   To launch a Warhead, a Player must publicly declare that she is        launching a Warhead and who his intended target is.    -   He places his Warhead mini on any of his silos, with the target        nation's flag token in the slot, flag side out. If his target is        another warhead, he takes the nation token of the player whose        warhead he is trying to destroy and places it in the slot        warhead side out. His turn is now over, even if he had remaining        turn actions.    -   Unless otherwise stated by specific card text, any warhead        launch advances the Doomsday Clock by 1 minute.

Reprogram a Nuclear Warhead

Players may use one or both turn actions to reprogram one of their livewarheads. They may only reprogram their warhead, unless otherwisespecified by a card or “Nation Special.”

-   -   To reprogram a warhead, a player declares that they are using a        turn action to reprogram one of their warheads.    -   He declares which nation, military token, or other warhead is        his new target.    -   He replaces the original target with the new target token.    -   There is no limit to the amount of times a warhead can be        reprogrammed, but you can only reprogram one warhead per turn        action.

If you are targeting a specific nation's warhead, you may strike any ofthe live warheads with that nation's warhead token on top, even one thatwas launched after yours!

Counterstrike

Players can defend against a Warhead by launching an interceptingwarhead. This is called a “Counterstrike.”

-   -   To launch a Counterstrike, a Player must publicly declare that        she is launching a Counterstrike, and which nation's warhead is        her intended target.    -   He places his Warhead mini with the opposing nation's flag token        (warhead side out) on any of his “launch zones” (indicated with        a silo-shaped symbol) on the board. His turn is now over, even        if he had remaining turn actions.    -   Unlike warhead strikes, Counterstrikes do NOT affect the        defending player's Will when they hit their target, but they do        advance the Doomsday Clock.        -   If a counterstrike warhead is reprogrammed mid-flight, and            its target becomes a nation, it is no longer a            counterstrike, and upon successful strike the player will            incur −1 Will. If this Counterstrike was launched to satisfy            an objective, as it is no longer a counterstrike, it no            longer satisfies terms requiring a successful counterstrike.        -   If a warhead aimed at another nation is reprogrammed            mid-flight, and its target becomes another warhead, it            becomes a counterstrike, and upon successful interception,            the launching player will not incur any Will penalty.    -   Unless otherwise stated by specific card text, any warhead or        Counterstrike launch advances the Doomsday Clock by 1 minute.        FOR QUICKPLAY: Launching a Counterstrike is a free action at the        start of your turn. It still advances the Doomsday Clock, but it        does not end your turn or cost a turn action.

Warhead Phase

-   -   After every player has played their turn in a round, all        Warheads move one grid space, starting with the player who was        first during player phase and continuing clockwise until every        warhead has been moved.        -   All warheads must move. They cannot stay in place unless            otherwise stated by card text.        -   A warhead may move in any direction at any time—they do not            have to follow a straight line. A warhead may move            backwards, however it cannot occupy the grid space it was            previously on.        -   A warhead may circle the globe—if it reaches the edge of the            board, instead of moving side to side or backwards, it can            push forward off the board and come back to any space with a            corresponding number/symbol.

Unless otherwise stated by card text, every time a warhead successfullystrikes a nation, even if it doesn't strike its intended target, thelaunching player loses −1 Will.

FOR QUICKPLAY: Launching a Counterstrike is a free action at the startof your turn. It still advances the Doomsday Clock, but it does not endyour turn or cost a turn action.

Fallout & Strike Damage Fallout

-   When a Counterstrike is successful, any nations in the grid space    where the missiles collided experience Nuclear Fallout.    -   All affected players must discard one Swindl.        -   If a player does not have a Swindl to discard, they lose            their next turn.    -   Nuclear Fallout does not affect Military Invasion forces.    -   Nuclear Fallout does not count against you when tallying points        for the end of the game (See: Ending the Game section below).    -   You are affected by fallout even if it is your own warhead that        detonates above your borders.

Strike

-   When a Warhead hits a nation, there are several consequences for the    player who has been struck:    -   The player who has been hit places a “strike” token on the grid        space where they were hit. This may cost them at the end of the        game.        -   If more than one nation occupy that space, place the strike            token on a space that only the struck player occupies, to            avoid confusion.        -   If there are no available spaces, the struck player may            place the strike token on their completed objective cards.    -   The player who has been hit loses −1 Will.    -   The player who has been hit must discard 2 Resource Cards        -   If the player has fewer than 2 Resource Cards to discard,            she must discard all available resources and loses an            additional −1 Will.    -   If the Warhead hits a grid space with more than one player, only        the declared target suffers the effects of the strike. All other        players in that grid space experience Fallout.    -   If a Warhead strikes a space with Military Invasion Forces, all        Military minis in that space are destroyed, and are removed from        the board. If there are Military minis (land, sea, or air) in        other spaces in the nation that was just struck, they are not        affected.    -   At the end of the game, the nation with the most strikes against        them loses 1 point (See: How to Win section below).        There is a consequence to the player who successfully struck        another nation:    -   Unless otherwise specified by a card or “Nation Special”, upon a        successful strike, the player who launched the Warhead loses −1        Will.

Advancing the Doomsday Clock & the Doomsday Dossier

The Doomsday Clock advances one “minute” whenever a warhead issuccessfully launched. The dock advances regardless of the intent of thewarhead (launch of aggression vs. defensive launch vs. counterstrike).

Doomsday Dossier

When the Doomsday Clock strikes 11:55, (“5 Minutes to Midnight™”), theDoom Dossier is unlocked. Whichever player caused the clock to strike11:55 (or the last player who took their turn opens the Doom Dossier andremoves the Doomsday Deck, placing it on its designated spot on theboard. The Doomsday Deck may now be drawn from during the player phase.The Doomsday Deck is treated like the other decks and follows the rulesof the “draw” action. Unless otherwise stated on the card, DoomsdayCards may not be discarded, stolen, or passed to another player.Doomsday Cards can only leave the player's hand if played or traded withaffirmative consent from all parties involved. Unlike the regular decks,players may not discard undesirable Doomsday Objectives unless expresslypermitted to do so on the face of a given card. They must remain in theplayer's hand until completed or the game ends. Unless otherwiseexplicitly stated, the Doomsday Deck is excluded from any condition thatwould allow players to look at the cards of a deck during gameplay.

The Wasteland

Once a player loses all their Will of the People (Will=0), they turninto a Wasteland, creating new conditions and challenges.

-   -   Wasteland players flip their Nation Cards to the opposite side &        discard all “alliance” tokens.        -   All other players discard the wasteland's nation token from            their alliances.    -   Wasteland players keep all their warheads, but due to a shortage        of resources and engineering, the build cost required to make        Wasteland warheads is substantially higher.    -   As it is no longer a sovereign nation, the wasteland is not        concerned with “Will of the People.” A wasteland can neither        gain nor lose Will. Any card or condition instructing the        addition or subtraction of Will is ignored by the wasteland. All        other conditions are followed.    -   Wastelands may still engage in diplomacy with other nations, but        they are not a sovereign nation with an alliance, so no Will        bonuses or penalties apply for either player in the negotiation.        -   When trading Wasteland warheads with another player, the            Wasteland player slides their warhead token down the silo by            1.        -   The non-Wasteland player has two options: they must declare            which option they choose:            -   a) Decommission—The wasteland warhead is converted into                resources. The player who is trading with the wasteland                draws 1 Resource Card from the Resource Deck and gains                +1 Will.            -   b) Rust Bucket Chance—the player making a trade with the                wasteland flips a nation token. If it lands warhead side                up, the warhead is successfully traded! If it lands flag                side up, the missile is a dud, and the player gets                nothing.    -   When a wasteland warhead strikes its target (nation player or        another warhead), they flip a nation token. If it lands warhead        side up, the warhead is successful! Follow the rules for strike        or counterstrike accordingly. If it lands flag side up, the        missile is a dud, and nothing happens.        -   If a player has warheads on the board that were launched            when they were a sovereign nation but they then became a            Wasteland nation, those warheads become wasteland warheads            and are subject to wasteland warhead strike conditions.    -   Wastelands may attempt diplomacy with other wastelands. There is        no restriction on trade or hostility between wastelands.    -   Incomplete objective cards that rely on alliances can no longer        be satisfied by a wasteland.        -   A wasteland may still discard an undesirable objective card,            but she must draw two objective cards in its place.            -   Doomsday Objectives cannot be discarded.    -   Wastelands cannot win by “Last Nation Standing”. (See: How to        Win section below).

Wasteland Military Rules

The Wasteland may still build and deploy military invaders (now called“marauders”), however there are a few key differences:

-   -   Wastelands do NOT need to hold the “military forces” resource        card to deploy their marauders.    -   However, the cost to build new marauding forces increases.    -   Wasteland tanks may only move a maximum of two spaces from the        wasteland border at any time.    -   Wasteland warships may only move a maximum of 4 spaces (one        space per turn action). On what would be its fifth movement, it        experiences catastrophic mechanical failure and “sinks” (remove        warship from play).        -   If a wasteland warship makes port on its 4^(th) movement, it            docks until it attempts to move again, or is destroyed by a            warhead or opposing military force.    -   Wastelands take a −1 penalty to the mining reward printed on        their occupied nation's nation card.

If a player becomes a wasteland while they have military forces activelydeployed, they must recall all infantry and tank forces to any “silo”space within their borders, but warships stay where they are (since notheir movement is restricted).

When a Wasteland is Struck

If a Wasteland is successfully struck by a warhead, the Wastelanddiscards one resource card.

-   -   If the Wasteland player has no resource cards, they must reduce        their warhead stockpile by −1.

What Other Players Should Consider

-   -   All other players discard the wasteland's nation token from        their alliances.    -   Interactions with Wastelands cannot be used to satisfy Sovereign        Nation objectives involving allies or enemies, unless otherwise        specified on the OC.    -   Wastelands may still engage in diplomacy with other nations, but        they are not a sovereign nation with an alliance, so no Will        bonuses or penalties apply for either player in the negotiation.        -   When trading Wasteland warheads with another player, the            Wasteland player slides their warhead token down the silo by            1.        -   The non-Wasteland player has two options: they must declare            which option they choose:            -   a) Decommission—The wasteland warhead is converted into                resources. The player who is trading with the wasteland                draws 1 Resource Card from the Resource Deck and gains                +1 Will.            -   b) Rust Bucket Chance—the player making a trade with the                wasteland flips a nation token. If it lands warhead side                up, the warhead is successfully traded! If it lands flag                side up, the missile is a dud, and the player gets                nothing.    -   Wastelands may attempt diplomacy with other wastelands. There is        no restriction on trade or hostility between wastelands.

How A Wasteland Gains Points

-   -   There are 4 classes of Wasteland objectives. In order to end the        game, a wasteland must complete all the objective cards in their        hand and one wasteland objective from each class on the        wasteland objective card. Objective cards that cannot be        completed must either be traded for new Objective cards during        player phase, or placed face up as “failed objectives” to have        their points deducted at the end of the game.        -   Wastelands may disregard the chart “Objective cards needed            to end the game.”        -   Wasteland objectives are the same on every Wasteland card.            -   The wasteland player does not need to disclose which                objective from a given class they are trying to achieve.            -   When the player completes a wasteland objective, they                must announce it to the room.            -   Like a sovereign nation, wastelands may declare                completed objectives on anyone's turn during player                phase or warhead phase.        -   As Wasteland players complete Wasteland Objectives, they            tally the Wasteland Objective points earned by taking their            own Nation Tokens out of the box and placing them below            their country card in the “wasteland objectives” area (1            nation token=1 point). These point values are added to the            player's final score at the end of the game.            -   If the game ends before the Wasteland player can                complete all the wasteland objectives, any incomplete                Wasteland Objectives do NOT get deducted from the                player's the final score.            -   As with sovereign nations, any incomplete objective                cards in the player's hand at the end of the game have                their point values deducted from the player's final                score.

Ending the Game

The game ends when any of the following occur:

-   The Doomsday Clock reaches “MIDNIGHT”-   “Last Nation Standing”—there is only one Sovereign Nation left (all    other players are Wastelands)-   A player completes the requisite number of Objective Cards for the    number of players (see table “Objective Cards to End Game”).-   A Wasteland player completes four Wasteland Objectives plus any    unsatisfied Objective Cards still in their hand.-   All countries become Wastelands

How to Win

At the end of the game, players add up the points from all theircompleted Objective Cards, remaining Warheads (1 Warhead=1 point), andWill of the People (1 Will=1 point). The player with the highest pointtotal wins.

-   -   Incomplete Objective Cards count as negative points and must be        subtracted from that player's point total (this does not apply        to Wasteland Objectives).    -   Each player tallies up the number of times they have been        struck. Each strike counts as a negative point (−1) and must be        subtracted from that player's point total.        -   Tally up the number of times every Nation has been            struck—the nation with the most strikes against them loses            an additional point (−1).        -   If there is a tie for most strikes, every tied nation takes            the −1 penalty.

-   If there is a “Last Nation Standing”, they get an additional 2 bonus    points. If there are multiple Sovereign Nations at the end of play,    no bonus points are earned.

Objective Cards Needed to End the Game

# of Completed Objective Cards # of Players Needed to End the Game 3players 6 4 players 6 5 players 5 6 players 5 7 players 4

Game Vocabulary

-   Alliance—When two nation-players negotiate to become allies. Trading    with an Ally earns the nation-player +1 Will.-   Counterstrike—when a defense treaty between two nation-players is    successful, and an attacking warhead is intercepted by a defensive    warhead.-   Defense Treaty—when two nation-players enter into a specific    agreement that one nation-player will launch a defensive warhead on    behalf of the other nation-player.-   Defensive Warhead—A warhead launched exclusively against another    warhead.-   Diplomacy—Diplomacy is the act of opening up communications between    any two nation-players. Player alliances do not restrict the    technical ability to attempt Diplomacy, but depending on the    players' disposition, it may make a successful negotiation more    difficult.-   Disarm—When a nation-player completely removes all warheads from    their silo. A player may disarm themselves or another player, by    launch, trade, or destruction.-   Doom Dossier—The Doom Dossier is a secret protocol of global    objectives that may be drawn from when the Doomsday Clock strikes    “6.” Many of these objectives carry a higher point value, and a    correspondingly high difficulty.-   Fallout—When a Warhead Strike or Counterstrike is successful, any    Nations in that grid space experience Fallout, even if they were not    the intended targets.-   GDP—The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the amount of resources each    nation starts the game with. The GDP is printed on the individual    Nation Card-   Launch Site—this is the spot on the game board within your Nation's    borders that a Warhead launches from. When you launch a Warhead,    place the token on a Launch Site icon within your borders. Some    nations may have more than one Launch Site. Launch Sites are denoted    by a silo-shaped symbol.-   Nukonium (new-KOH-nee-am)—Global resource. Can be spent to build    warheads, or traded with other nations.-   Occupied Nation—a nation that is host to a Military Invasion token.    This nation may not draw from the resource deck as long as they are    host to foreign military tokens, even if they are not the intended    occupant (such as in the case of shared borders, or tokens “passing    through” a player's borders).-   Reprogram—When a warhead that has been launched toward a target has    its target changed mid-flight.-   Rivalry—When two nation-players are rivals. Trading with a rival    costs the nation-player −1 Wilt-   Sovereign Nation—When a nation still has “Will of the People”, it    has a smaller cost for its nuclear warhead program, and it has the    ability to form alliances with other nations.-   Strike—When a nuclear warhead successfully hits its target nation.-   Swindl (swin•dle)—Game currency. Can be spent to build warheads, or    traded with other nations.-   Unaligned—When two nation-players are neither allies nor rivals.    Trading with an unaligned player carries no bonus or penalty.-   Wasteland—When a nation loses all its “Will of the People”, it has a    greater cost for its nuclear warhead program. Wastelands may not    form alliances with other nations.-   Will of the People (Will)—Will of the People (Will) are effectively    the “Hit Points” in 5 Minutes to Midnight™.-   Warhead—The primary tool of aggression in 5 Minutes to Midnight™.    Warheads can be launched against another nation-player, or against    another warhead.

What is the Real Doomsday Clock

At the time this game was invented, the real doomsday clock was 2.5MtoM.Assuming you haven't been massacred by nuclear hellfire, what is thedoomsday clock today?

Referring now to the accompanying photographs and drawings, FIG. 1Ashows the box top to this board game. Note the numerous references toits title: “5 Minutes to Midnight” with the main title section using ananalog clock face with its clock hands set at 11:55.

FIG. 1B shows a representative board game box bottom (or reverse of FIG.1A). To the right of a brief game summary is a photograph showing tworelatives of one of the co-inventors playing the game.

FIG. 2A is a top plan view of a first embodiment of playing board 10 forthe game which, in this case, is a world map showing 16 real countries(abbreviated) that are the countries to be considered for game players.On the far left edge of this playing board 10, there is a doom counter20 showing a score keeping chip 30 at point “6” on the countdown clock,if you will. In alternate versions, this sliding scale timer/countercould be replaced with a standard analog-shaped clock face, possiblynumbered from 1 to midnight, with the countdown rendered with aclockwise rotation.

Also, on this board 10 are areas in which to place for players to drawfrom stacks of action cards 40, resource cards 50 and objective cards60. The board 10 further includes a place for storing any and all usedcards, at discard pile 70. Preferably, there is a hexagonal overlayacross the nations of this board 10 like that seen more clearly in FIG.2B below for a culmination of fictional country/players.

FIG. 2B is a first alternative playing board 110 under considerationwith a plurality of hexagon-shaped spaces 112 for playing tiles 114.This version uses fictional rather than real countries on its world mapwith plans to add a clock counter (digital or analog) and drawing cardsadjacent the playing board 110 or directly on another variation of thisalternative playing board.

FIG. 3A shows a set of detailed playing parameters for a representativecountry card, in this case, for the player who chooses to play asAustralia (AUS). On the left side of FIG. 3A is the main playinginformation for regular country card 200 that includes is abbreviation210, nation flag 212 nation description 214 allied/friendly nation tokenindicator 216, unaligned/neutral nation token indicator 218, rival/enemynation token indicator 220, bonus points token indicator 222 and“special ability” block 224 about the card's perimeter. In addition,this card will contain specifics for that country's game play, includingbut not limited to: a natural resources number 228, starting resources(or GDP) indicator 230, current number of warheads in inventory 232,number of warhead slots (or silos) available 234 and cost-to-build chart(or military spending table) 236.

On the right side of FIG. 3A, information is included on the reverse 300of card 200 if that country player (in this case, AUS) was nuked andmade into a Wasteland 310 with its own wasteland flag 312. Commonalitieswith the card front include: a wasteland bonus points token indicator322, wasteland “special ability” block 324, wasteland natural resourcesnumber 328, wasteland silos indicator (all empty in this case) 334 and amarauder (rather than military) spending table 336.

FIGS. 3B1 and 3B2 are photographs depicting the fronts to the 16 countryplayer cards for one preferred embodiment of this game board. Theyinclude particular player information for, 3B1: Australia, Brazil,Canada, China, France, Germany, India and Japan; along with, 3B2:Mexico, the Middle East, North Korea (PRK), Russia, South Korea, GreatBritain (the UK), the United States and South Africa (ZAF). Note howeach country card includes particular indicators for that country'snumber of nukes (with a stockpile count, there above) and Will of thePeople counter,

FIGS. 3C1 and 3C2 are photographs depicting the fronts to the 16 countryplayer cards for this same preferred embodiment if those respective 16countries were nuked and turned into their respective Wastelandequivalents. Note how for each of these Wasteland equivalents, thecountry's Nuke count is emptied (or zeroed out) and they cannot actaccording to any Will of the People counter cards.

FIG. 4 shows 10 representative Objective cards for use with a firstpreferred embodiment of this game. FIG. 5 shows 10 representativeConspiracy-Political cards for use with the first preferred embodimentof this game described below. FIG. 6 shows 10 representative Resourcecards for use with the same first preferred embodiment.

Having described the game of this invention above, it is to beunderstood that it may be otherwise embodied in the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A board game in which a plurality of players: (i)gather materials to make their own pretend nuclear weapons, (ii)establish or maintain relationships with their allies, neutralities orenemies; (iii) stave off pretend nuclear attacks from other players; and(iv) complete their randomly chosen objectives before a counter reachesmidnight signaling an end to the game, said board game comprising: a. aflat world map with a plurality of real or fictional countries, whicheach player adopting one of the plurality of countries for their gamepersona; b. a playing card for each of the real or fictional countrieson the world map, each playing card having: (i) a first side withinformation on at least: that country's number of pretend nuclearwarheads at a start of the game; that county's hit points, called “willof the people”; and which other countries are allies and enemies of thatcountry or neutral thereto; and having (ii) a second side showing howthat country may continue playing after being rendered a wastelandduring play by another country's pretend nuclear warhead; c. a set ofplaying cards from which players may draw on their turn, said playingcards including at least one of: an action card, a resource card and anobjective card; and d. a counter for simulating a movable doomsday clockto encourage player negotiations around a nuclear war scenario orpreventing such a war.
 2. The board game of claim 1, which furtherincludes at least one of: an Assassination Action card and a BlightAction card.
 3. The board game of claim 1 in which players take turns:(a) mining for pretend nuclear resources, (b) negotiating with otherplayers or (c) launching pretend nuclear warheads at another player. 4.The board game of claim 3 wherein during negotiating step (b), a playermay elect to trade with, create an alliance with or establish a treatywith another player.
 5. The board game of claim 4 wherein the treatywith another player may be a defense treaty or an emergency treaty. 6.The board game of claim 3 wherein step (c) further includes anotherplayer's ability to launch a counterstrike.
 7. The board game of claim1, which further includes a plurality of infantry, tank or warshipmilitary invasion miniatures.
 8. A board game in which three to sevenplayers: (i) gather materials to make their own pretend nuclear weapons,(ii) establish or maintain relationships with their allies, neutralitiesor enemies; (iii) stave off pretend nuclear attacks from other players;and (iv) complete their randomly chosen objectives before a doom counterreaches midnight signaling an end to the game, said board gamecomprising: a. a flat world map with up to sixteen real or fictionalcountries, which each player adopting one of the up to sixteen real orfictional countries for their game persona; b. a playing card for eachof the real or fictional countries on the world map, each playing cardhaving: (i) a first side with information on at least: that country'snumber of pretend nuclear warheads at a start of the game; thatcountry's hit points, called “will of the people”; and which othercountries are allies and enemies of that country or neutral thereto; andhaving (ii) a second side showing how that country may continue playingafter being rendered a wasteland during play after being hit by anothercountry's pretend nuclear warhead; c. a set of playing cards from whichplayers may draw on their turn, said playing cards including: an actioncard, a resource card or an objective card, each of said playerselecting to either: (i) mine for pretend nuclear resources, (ii)negotiate with other players or (iii) launch pretend nuclear warheads atanother player; d. a counter for simulating a movable doomsday clock toencourage player negotiations around a nuclear war scenario orpreventing such a war; and e. a plurality of infantry, tank or warshipmilitary invasion miniatures.
 9. The board game of claim 8 whereinduring negotiating step (c)(ii), a player may trade with, create analliance with or establish a treaty with another player.
 10. The boardgame of claim 9 wherein the treaty may be a defense treaty or anemergency treaty.
 11. The board game of claim 8 wherein launch step(c)(iii) further includes another player's ability to launch acounterstrike.
 12. A method of playing a board game in which a pluralityof players: (i) gather materials to make their own pretend nuclearwarheads, (ii) establish or maintain relationships with their allies,neutralities or enemies; (iii) stave off pretend nuclear attacks fromother players; and (iv) complete their randomly chosen objectives beforea counter reaches midnight signaling an end to the game, said method ofplaying comprising: (a) providing a a flat world map with up to sixteenreal or fictional countries, which each player adopting one of the up tosixteen real or fictional countries for their game persona; (b)providing each player with a plurality of Nations Tokens (face down)from which to blindly select two Nations Tokens, (c) letting each playersee which two Nations Tokens they selected before allowing them to picktherefrom which real or fictional country they will be adopting as theirgame persona; (d) providing each player with a two-sided card for thereal or fictional county they have adopted, each playing card having:(i) a first side with information on at least: that country's number ofpretend nuclear warheads at a start of the game; that country's hitpoints, called “will of the people”; and which other countries areallies and enemies of that country or neutral thereto; and having (ii) asecond side showing how that country may continue playing after beingrendered a wasteland during play after being hit by another country'spretend nuclear warhead; (e) distributing to each player their startingGDP resources as set forth on their nation's two-sided card; (f)shuffling a deck of Doomsday Dossier cards, placing the shuffled deckadjacent a Doomsday counter clock and setting the counter clock at 11:45for the start of the game; (g) shuffling a deck of objective cards,dealing four Objective cards to each player and placing a remainder ofthe objective cards, face down, on a designated objective card area onthe flat world map; and (h) shuffling a deck of action cards, allowingeach player to draw two action cards which do not say “PLAY NOW”, andplacing a remainder of the action cards, face down, on a designatedaction card area on the flat world map.
 13. The method of claim 12wherein players take turns: (a) mining resources to build their pretendnuclear weapons; (b) negotiating with other players; or (c) launchingtheir pretend nuclear warheads.
 14. The method of claim 12 whereinplayers earn points by completing objectives specified on theiroriginally dealt or subsequently drawn objective cards, said player withthe most earned points winning when the counter clock reaches midnightto end the game.
 15. The method of claim 12, which further comprises:(i) each player taking a turn, each turn consisting of two actionsselected from the group consisting of: (a) drawing one card from theobjective card deck, the action card deck or the resource card deck onthe flat world map; (b) playing an action card or a resource card; (c)playing a military invasion miniature to increase the player's resourceproduction; (d) attempting diplomacy; (e) building a military or anuclear warhead; (f) proliferating by launching or reprogramming anuclear warhead; or (g) skipping one of the two actions per turn ifinstructed by a card to do so.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein themilitary invasion miniature in step (c) is selected from the groupconsisting of: an infantry miniature, a tank miniature, an airshipminiature and a warship miniature.
 17. The method of claim 15 whereinattempting diplomacy step (d) includes negotiating a trade with anotherplayer, creating an alliance or establishing a defense treaty or anemergency treaty.
 18. The method of claim 15, which further includes aplayer's ability to launch a counterstrike.
 19. The method of claim 12wherein the action cards further includes at least one of: anAssassination card and a Blight card.
 20. The method of claim 12 whereina player may continue playing after being rendered a wasteland afterbeing hit by another player's pretend nuclear warhead.